(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bottle conveyor apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for uprighting bottles which have been carried along on their sides on the conveyor.
(2) Prior Art
Most bottle conveyor apparatus includes bottle orientation apparatus for uprighting bottles traveling on the conveyor to an upright position, that is a position where the bottle is standing on its base. For the most part, when bottles are introduced on to the conveyor apparatus the bottles are on their sides, some bottles proceeding along the conveyor in a neck leading position, others in a base leading position. Traditionally such bottles have been oriented into a standing upright position, with base down, in several ways.
One approach uses a ramp which engages a moving bottle and applies a torque in one direction to lift the neck of a neck leading bottle and applies a torque in the other direction to drop the base of a base leading bottle. This bottle orientation system uses the same ramp to orient both neck leading and base leading bottles and a favorable elevation adjustment of the ramp for the orientation of neck loading bottles does not produce a favorable corresponding effect on the orientation of base leading bottles.
Another technique provides a trip in the path of a traveling bottle which engages the bottle. The trip cooperates with the moving belts which carry the bottles along. Torque in one direction is exerted on a base leading bottle and torque in the other direction is exerted on a neck leading bottle to effect upright orientation. With this system the same components are used to effect orientation by torque exerted in different directions so that any adjustment of these components must be a compromise.
An example of a conveyor system which includes bottle orientation apparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,421 while another bottle conveyor system may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,654.